Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2016

We here at the Classical Association in Northern Ireland would like to wish all of our friends and followers a Happy New Year! May Janus provide you with eyes on the past, future and present!

While we already have a programme set for the first half of 2016, rest assured that we are working on further events not just for the public but also for schools across Northern Ireland, which is a pivotal part of our mission.

So stay tuned for further updates and do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like more information, help promoting or running your own event or any ideas you think we at CANI could help with!

Thanks and once again, Happy New Year!

Dr Icks’ Emperors on Display

Posted on December 5, 2015 Updated on December 5, 2015

To an audience that had braved the elements and dodged the traffic, the Classical Association in Northern Ireland was proud to present Dr Martijn Icks and his talk ‘Keeping Up Appearances’: Roman Emperors on Display in the Bell Theatre at Queen’s University, Belfast on 3rd December 2015.

Starting with the holy invisibility of the Forbidden City of Ming China and the hyper-visibility of today’s leaders, Dr Icks took those in attendance on a journey through the public portrait of the Roman Emperors of the principate.

Through coins, statues, busts and monuments, the seemingly omnipresent emperors sought and were indeed demanded to be a living, honourable embodiment of the Roman Empire; those who failed in that embodiment were to be ridiculed, to be infames.

That journey took in, but was not limited to the affable, “all things to all men” Augustus; the too private Tiberius, opening himself to accusations of the worst levels of vice; the limping, stuttering Claudius hidden away by his family and then over-indulgent in blood sports; the embarrassing but dangerous spectacle that was Nero; the triumphant Titus and Trajan; the invisible Big Brother Domitian and the bookish Marcus Aurelius, ridiculed for not being seen to enjoy the games, instead attending to work.

Having forewarned that this subject was far larger than 50 mins would allow, Dr Icks finished up by teasing the listeners with a brief look at where the imperial portrait went from these embarrassing spectacles, conquering imperators, paranoid tyrants and “first among equals” of the principate – the aloof Lord and master chosen by the gods and then God and the increasingly invisible Byzantines, wrapped up in ceremony within their own version of the Forbidden City.

Clearly, this is a subject that has much more to be investigated.

Perhaps there will be a ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ Part 2 and 3? Over a few winter drinks afterwards, the audience certainly seemed to think so.

Peter Crawford

PayPal Up and Running

Posted on November 5, 2015 Updated on November 5, 2015

We are happy to announce that our PayPal account is now up and running, allowing you to subscribe or even donate to the Classical Association in Northern Ireland.

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As we are a not-for-profit organisation, CANI needs the support of subscribers to fund and even expand our annual programme of events. The various membership options can be found under the Membership/Subscriptions tab above.

In return for your generosity, we will continue to provide top quality academic talks such as the recent presentation by Daniëlle Slootjes on ‘Ancient Rome on the Digital Age’, to interact with schools and the public as a whole around Northern Ireland promoting the study and stories of the Classical World and to bring more light hearted forms of entertainment such as the showing of films with a classical theme.

Thanking you in advance,

CANI

Dr Slootjes’ Digital Rome

Posted on November 5, 2015 Updated on November 5, 2015

3rd November 2015

The Classical Association in Northern Ireland

Ancient Rome in a Digital Age

Dr Daniëlle Slootjes